BOOTJER family in Crawford and BOOTJER Hospital there.

Re: BOOTJER family in Crawford and BOOTJER Hospital there.

FOUND BOOTJER HOSPITAL!For anyone looking for info on Bootjer Hospital in Crawford, Nebraska, I was able to find this in

Crawford, Nebraska 100th Year CENTENNIAL 1886-1986: The Garden Beyond The HillsWritten by Melvin Bootjer (1910-2005), her son Mother was very active in business and as I think back, she was involved in many things. She had the first hemstitching machine in 1925. She did some dressmaking and had a shop in the old Midwest Hardware. In 1930, Crawford had no hospital so, at the request of Drs. Richards and Ivins, she converted her home into a four-bed hospital. Some years later she purchased the Minick house and had a ten-bed hospital. I am sure there are many Crawford people who were born or spent time in Bootjer Hospital and have fond memories of the time spent under her care. After Dr. Ivins took over part of the Arcade building for his hospital, Mother quit nursing. There was a great need for housing for the fort soldiers and civilian workers and their wives, so she converted Bootjer Hospital into apartments. Many families enjoyed it as a home away from home. During this time she had built the Butte View Motel and Restaurant, which she operated for many years. She introduced the smorgasbord on Sundays and people came from neighboring towns to enjoy it. She moved to Santa Barbara to be near her family and spend some good years with many friends. She passed away in 1978.